Star Trek: Galilea #5 "From the Other Side"

[Note - 3/12/2014] The is the second full episode I wrote, and I'm really proud of how well it came together. The title is a reference to this episode being entirely from the Romulan point of view, which we thought would be a fun angle to explore before everything went to shit. This is my second draft. Aside from giving everything a tidying over, there was nothing significant cut or changed from the first draft. Kevin gave it a few final revisions before recording.

To date, this is the last episode we completed for the show. There was another, "Sauntering Vaguely Downwards", written by Alina, which was fully scripted and, I believe, almost entirely recorded, but it fell victim to life getting in the way of things and people drifting as the project gained distance. There were about 2-3 more episodes planned beyond that to wrap up the storyline of the first season.

(Cold Open - Taldex Bridge)

SOUND: Bridge ambience.

SURAK (filter)
Commander Valkon, I am ordering you to stand your men down.

VALKON
We've been over this before, Surak. I will not stand by and let a threat--

SURAK (filter)
There is no threat. You received the same report as I. The Borg ship has been neutralized by the local populace, a populace that does not pose a threat to us, you, or anybody else.

VALKON
Which strikes me as preposterous. For all we know, this could be an elaborate--

SURAK (filter)
Valkon, civilizations are not destroyed based on presumptions. The facts do not support the threat you perceive, so the logical course of action is--

VALKON
I have no patience for your logic, Vulcan.

SURAK (filter)
Fact: if your explosive detonates, it will wipe out an advanced, sentient, non-hostile species. Fact: said species is on a planet located within Federation space. Fact: committing genocide on a species within Federation space would not only violate the treaty between Starfleet and the Romulan Empire, it would be an act of war.

VALKON
(beat)
What exactly are you saying?

SURAK (filter)
If the Shintari are destroyed, you will have declared war, and we will have no choice but to react accordingly.

ROMULAN ED
Commander, the Galilea is raising shields and coming about. Their weapons are armed and locking!

VALKON
Raise shields! Red alert! [Arm the Okudas!]

SURAK (filter)
Commander Valkon, there is little doubt that your ship can easily best ours in combat. Which is why a distress signal is currently being broadcast that will--

ROMULAN STEVE
He's telling the truth, Commander.

SURAK (filter)
... that will alert Starfleet to the situation. The Galilea may fall this day, but I guarantee the Taldex will suffer the same fate before it reaches neutral space.

VALKON
(beat)
Very well, Captain. We shall wait and see what outcome the next hour has in store for us.

OPENING

T'SA
[Commander's log. Date.] The operation is running smoothly. There has been no contact with or sign of aggression from the local populace. The atmosphere is significantly limiting our scanning equipment, but enough was getting through for our shuttle to detect Borg technology from the nearby settlement. No drones were visible. The meaning of this is unknown. The Borg Cube has been secured. There was no resistance, no presence of active drones. The machinery within appears to be dead, but the warp core is still fully active. This may be related to a device of unknown origin which has been connected to the core. Our scanning equipment is completely useless inside the Cube, which may tie into the atmospheric disturbance. It's unknown and likely to remain so. [Engineers] Miyon and Bassov proposed connecting the explosive to the core, which they promise will [expand the detonation by bunches of Okudas]. Whatever Borg threat has found its way to this planet will be completely eradicated.

(Scene 1 - At the open entrance of the Borg Cube. A bit of wind in the background.)

[J'uul and Satec are, respectively, Alina and Ceci, the two scouts from episode 1.]

SATEC
We should leave now.

J'UUL
There is still more than [half-an-hour] until detonation. We will follow our orders and wait.

SATEC
This cube is dead. The locals have shown no interest in us. Starfleet is nowhere to be seen. There's nothing here to prevent the explosion.

J'UUL
There is also nothing here to keep us from leaving [10 minutes] before detonation, so we will follow our orders and... wait. I see something.

SOUND: Waverider approaching and coming to a midair halt about 30 yards away from the entrance. Continue the hum of its engines as it hovers.

BRUNHILDE (speakers)
Romulan [troops]. This is Lieutenant Commander Brunhilde Englestadt of the Starship Galilea. I am ordering you to halt your detonation and stand down.

SOUND: A plasma cannon being charged up.

T'SA
(approaching from down a hall)
Centurion, do you have them targeted with the cannon?

SATEC
The targeting system isn't working, Commander, but they're close enough that I should have no problem aiming manually.

BRUNHILDE (speakers)
I repeat. You are ordered to stand down immediately and halt the detonation of your device.

T'SA
Keep me covered, Centurion.

SATEC
Aye, Commander.

SOUND: T'sa step out into the open plain.

T'SA
Starfleed officers, my name is Commander T'sa [name]. You should be aware that phaser weapons are very unstable in this atmosphere. They fire, but they arc around unpredictably instead of forming a straight beam. If you fire on us, you are just as likely to hit yourselves. We, however, have a plasma cannon that fires bolts dense enough to maintain their stability. It typically has little affect against Federation shields, but then your shields are not working at the moment, are they?

WALLACE (speaker)
(chipper, not a threat)
Ship's chief engineer here. I already know about the phasers and found a way to compensate. I can fire off a demonstration if you like.

T'SA
The moment you fire on us, my Centurion will fire on you.

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
So it would seem we're on potentially even footing in this standoff. But my order remains. Stand down.

T'SA
By what authority do you order us?

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
This planet is in Federation space. We are the Federation. You are not. Detonating your weapon and wiping out the native populace will be seen as an act of war and sever all diplomatic ties between the Federation and your Empire.

T'SA
Have you been informed of the potential Borg infestation amongst the populace? Such a threat, especially within your territories, would be--

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
Yes, we met with the Shintari. They have repurposed some elements of Borg technology, but they are not the Borg. They defeated the Borg from this Cube long ago, killing the drones and stripping their technology. There is no Borg threat.

T'SA
How do we know that you are not the Borg? That this is not a ruse?

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
(deadpan)
The Borg don't ruse.

T'SA
(beat)
That is a fair point.

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
Look, you and the rest of your ship's crew are free to remain on this world and run all the tests you desire in order to ascertain for yourselves the possibility of a threat. But until you can conclusively prove that such a threat exists, I cannot permit you to set off that explosive.

T'SA
(beat)
Centurion, deactivate the plasma cannon and bring it out for them to see.

SATEC
Commander?

T'SA
She is not wrong. We may have overstepped our authority in this scenario. Until we can get further instructions from Captain Valkon, we will stand down on my authority.
(to shuttle)
Commander, consider our operation halted for the moment. Would you care to join us inside the Cube?

BRUNHILDE (speaker)
We’ll be coming in armed.

T'SA
I would expect nothing less.

(Scene 2 - Deep in the Borg Cube.)

SOUNDS: The only sound of machinery is the hum of the warp core, which grows half a page from now when they round a corner and enter that chamber.

SOUND: Footsteps echoing down a metal hall.

T'SA
Please wait here for a moment, Commander. My Centurions are lying in wait in the [warp chamber].

T'SA
As you can see, the Borg warp core is still fully active. I assume this contraption affixed to its side is the Shintari device you described.

WALLACE
Fascinating! Commander, may I?

BRUNHILDE
You may.
(to T'sa)
Commander, according to the Shintari, this is what's responsible for the field of interference surrounding the planet. It suppresses Borg technology. Among other things, obviously.

T'SA
Obviously. We wondered ourselves about a possible connection, but this close to the device, our scanning equipment has been useless.

BRUNHILDE
Is that the bomb?

T'SA
Yes. Also feeding off the warp core. We figured it would increase the [Okuda].

BRUNHILDE
Understandable, but now I need you to disarm and disconnect it.

BASSOV
Commander?

T'SA
We have our orders, Bassov.

BASSOV
It's just, I don't believe it's possible to do so, Commander.

MIYON
The explosive is locked into an [Okuda] with the core and can't be separate without one or both going off.

T'SA
You mean a core overload?

BRUNHILDE
In a ship resting on a planet?

WALLACE
That would be bad.

BASSOV
(to Miyon)
I told you we should have set in extra safeguards in case it needed to be shut down.

MIYON
There didn't seem to be a need for any at the time!

T'SA
The two of you were just following orders. Can you find a solution?

BRUNHILDE
Wallace, take a look at it.

WALLACE
Already am. Hmmm... [Okuda in the Okuda with the Okuda.] It's definitely not something I can simply remove. Our best bet is to momentarily [pinch off the warp core]. It should give us just enough time without power to disconnect the explosive, but we'll still be stuck with a bomb set to detonate inside a warp core chamber. The explosion won't be as focused, but it'll still be pretty damn big.

MIYON
I've already located the power junctions if you wish to take a look.

BASSOV
And once the power flow is stopped, I should be able to de-activate the timer.

T'SA
Then you both have your orders.

BRUNHILDE
Make it so, Wallace.

SOUNDS: Tools come out. Maybe some background chatter between the three engineers. I'll let Kevin play with it.

T'SA
Commander, we have 15 minutes left. If things should... not go well, it was a pleasure meeting you.

BRUNHILDE
Likewise.

(Scene 3 - Taldex bridge.)

SOUNDS: Bridge ambience.

ROMULAN ED
There's a call coming in from the Galilea, Captain.

VALKON
On screen.

SURAK
Captain Valkon, by our estimation, there is just under a minute until the scheduled detonation.

VALKON
Has there been any further word from your crew on the surface?

SURAK
There has not. But I take that to mean they are too hard at work trying to resolve the situation to use up their time making contact.

VALKON
Or they may have been defeated by our forces.

SURAK
That is a possibility.

VALKON
In any case, Captain. I have made a decision.
(to bridge)
Lower the shields. Disengage the weapons.

ROMULAN STEVE
Captain?

VALKON
I have decided, Surak, that should the weapon detonate, I will turn myself over to your custody.

ROMULAN ED
Captain!

ROMULAN STEVE
No!

SAME ROMULAN WHO SAID THIS IN EPISODE 2
Madness!

VALKON
The young alliance between the Federation and the Empire is too important to throw away with my own rash decisions. I instead intend to take full responsibility for them.

SURAK
That is very admirable, Captain.

VALKON
I ask that my crew not suffer any blame and be allowed to return to Empire space. This was done by my orders and mine alone.

SURAK
You have my word.

VALKON
Thank you, Surak. Valkon out.

ROMULAN ED
(beat)
Captain! The planet!

VALKON
(tired acceptance)
Has the bomb gone off?

ROMULAN ED
No. It's the disruption field. It just... shut down!

VALKON
What!

ROMULAN ED
The particles will still take a while to dissipate, but our scans are starting to pierce through the atmosphere.

ROMULAN STEVE
Commander! I'm receiving a call from the surface!

VALKON
On screen!

T'SA
(too garbled to make out)
This is Commander T'Sa. Do you read me, Taldex?

ROMULAN STEVE
I'll try to boost it as best I can.

T'SA
(still messy, but coming through)
I repeat. Do you read me, Taldex? This is Commander T'sa. Do you read?

VALKON
(delighted sigh)
We can hear you, Commander. We can hear you. And we are very eager to hear of your status.

(Scene 4 - Borg core.)

SOUNDS: The humming core. Don't play it up too much, but faintly have other Borg machinery sounds start to slowly kick in.

SATEC
Ouch!

J'UUL
You okay?

SATEC
Yeah. I caught my leg on something sharp.

J'UUL
Try to be more careful. Between the damage from the crash and the natives stripping this ship down, there are sharp points all around us.

T'SA
Commander Englestadt, it would appear Captain Valkon is all too pleased at how the situation turned out.

BRUNHILDE
I'm glad to hear that.

T'SA
He has decided to leave further investigation of this planet in the hands of the Federation, so once we load our explosive onto our shuttle, we'll be off.

J'UUL
Our scanning equipment is back on line. It's the Borg, Commander! Our scans show the Borg cube is reactivating!

T'SA
Quick, everybody-- !

WALLACE
Hold it! Hold it, everybody. It's okay.

T'SA
What do you mean?

WALLACE
We don't have anything to worry about. With the way the Shintari stripped this ship down, it's not going anywhere any time soon. And I went ahead and severed all connections to the warp core, so whatever Borg machinery is reactivating is running off of reserve systems.

BRUNHILDE
But this ship is Borg. Won't it repair itself?

MIYON
With all of the Borg drones long dead and decomposed, the ship is stuck healing on its own.

BASSOV
And that's going to take a very, very long time.

WALLACE
We'll be fine until we can get this Shintari device up and running again.

T'SA
Can you reactivate it?

WALLACE
Maybe, but it would go faster if we zipped back to the city and picked up a Shintari.

BRUNHILDE
Then let's do so.
(to T'sa)
Commander, do you require any assistance clearing the bomb?

T'SA
No. We have it in order. You go and do what you have to in order to keep this monstrosity from waking up. We shall be gone by the time you return.